Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s 10-man purge and the lone player who escaped the axe

When necessary, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been hesitant to rotate his teams, but one current Reds player has been able to avoid the chopping block.

Liverpool fans are aware that large changes may be profitable as Jurgen Klopp gets ready to make significant summer changes to his team.

Although a lot will depend on how they perform in the league, the Reds are anticipated to make changes at the end of current season. Due to wins by Manchester United, Newcastle, and Tottenham on Saturday, Sunday’s 2-2 tie with Arsenal put Klopp’s team further behind the top four. However, all is not lost.

Klopp will let certain members of his team go, regardless of which European competition they end up in—and there’s a chance it might be none at all. However, he has previously made significant adjustments, not least in the summer before the Reds’ illustrious march to the league championship in 2019–20.

This time, it seems like we know who some of the departures are. Naby Keita may have played his last game for the team, and it would be unexpected if Arthur Melo’s loan were to convert into a permanent transfer given that the Brazilian hasn’t played since September.

Many people had thoughts about who might be moving back in the spring of 2019, and Mirror Football at the time examined 10 potential departures. Five of them were still under contract at the time of the title win, and one of those is still at Anfield today. Three of them did leave permanently that summer, with two being loaned away.

To sum up, a lot can change, even between now and the season’s finale. Here is what occurred to the 10 men who were supposed to leave.

Sturridge played a significant role in Liverpool’s 2013–14 title run, but he didn’t stay long enough for the Reds to take home the trophy. The striker had one more run to second place in 2019 while on loan, and he sat on the bench for the team’s victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final, but that was it.

Before leaving Anfield, Sturridge had already experienced a number of injuries, and little in his post-Liverpool career suggests that he was allowed go too soon. There were only a few goals scored during stretches in Turkey and Australia, and overall there wasn’t much football played.

Moreno, like Sturridge, played for Liverpool in both their win in Madrid and their loss in the Europa League final. When his teammate’s loan at West Brom was coming to an end in 2018, he was also sitting on the bench in Kiev.

After a protracted injury, the Spaniard relocated to Villarreal and has been working his way back up. Under Unai Emery, he won the Europa League in 2021, but an injury prevented him from playing against Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final last year.

The 2017–18 season saw Simon Mignolet compete with Loris Karius for a starting position, but Alisson’s entry caused him to drop down the pecking order. In 2019, the Belgian made a comeback to Club Brugge, where he is still active today.

In his own country for the past four years, he has won three straight league championships and been almost invariably present. The defending champions appear to be unable of scoring a fourth straight, but Mignolet contributed to their journey to the Champions League round of 16.

Under the German, Klopp’s first signing was never able to become a regular. Some were pushing for the Serbian to be given a shot at his parent club after impressive loan stints, but only half of his 16 games for Liverpool were league matches.

The midfielder was awarded a second season at Hertha Berlin after excelling for the German club in 2019, yet he did score his one and only Reds goal early in the 2020–21 campaign after making a temporary comeback. But after making a permanent move to Porto, he spent the previous campaign with Sergio Conceicao’s squad and won the Primeira Liga.

Ejaria initially displayed promise during his time at Liverpool, but the midfielder struggled to remain on as Klopp strengthened his squad. After brief stints at Rangers and Sunderland, he signed a long-term deal with the Royals following a loan season with Reading in 2019–20.

The now 25-year-old Londoner made a huge contribution to the team’s inaugural campaign. But lately, he’s had it tougher because of his challenges to get back into shape after injuries.

In Klopp’s first season, Chirivella received opportunities but failed to improve upon his single Premier League appearance. The Spanish midfielder remained for the 2019–20 campaign, however all six of his appearances came in domestic cup competitions.

In the summer of 2020, the talented musician from Valencia relocated to Nantes, where she has felt more at home. He participated in the Europa League under Antoine Kombouare this season after starting the cup final victory from last year.

Clyne stayed on Liverpool’s roster for the 2019–20 campaign, however he didn’t participate in the title victory at all. The right-back spent the final few months of the previous campaign on loan at Bournemouth, but when he returned to Anfield, a cruciate ligament injury kept him out of action.

The England international’s career-ending injury woes came to an end at Crystal Palace, where he started out. Since coming to Selhurst Park in 2020, Clyne hasn’t always been the first choice, but he’s made 50 appearances after being limited to only 21 in the previous three seasons.

During the 2018–19 season, Origi established a reputation as a goal scorer of significance by scoring numerous late winners before sealing victory in the Champions League final. That was more than enough to secure him a stay of execution.

The Belgian played in the league 28 times in 2019–20, the only season in which he played more, and made contributions in fits and starts during the next two years, despite having to sit on the bench. Despite having difficulty scoring goals on a personal level, he has a chance to win another Champions League championship with the Rossoneri since joining AC Milan in 2022.

The sole survivor. Matip has experienced numerous injuries while playing for the Reds, which has led to rumors that he would leave in 2019. Despite this, Matip is one of the team’s longest-serving players and has made close to 200 senior games.

With Joe Gomez returning for the 2019–20 season, doubts were raised about the Cameroonian’s ability to maintain a starting position, and sure enough, the Englishman was the more often starter. But Matip persisted, playing 43 times across all leagues last season as Klopp’s squad came perilously close to a quadruple.

However, this season has been harder, with the humiliating loss at Wolves serving as a prime illustration. The former Schalke player has been linked with a summer departure, but as we all know, he has dealt with these kind of rumors in the past.